Through this portfolio assignment I am able to look back onto what was my initial thoughts on what the role of literature is, analysis of characters such as Henry from The Picture of Dorian Gray, El Teatro Campesino and the one I chose to expand on which is connecting a song to a theory to help with analyzing. I plan to expand on week nine’s second learning activity surrounding music because I love to analyze and interpret lyrics. 

Another song that relates to Critical race theory is Becky from the Block by Becky G. The first lines talk about individuals and their roles “..Men going to work/ And some do stealing/ Everyones gotta make a living” Many of those who steal do it for necessity and to provide for themselves and or their family which is difficult when its a new country they are learning to live in. One of my favorite lines is “No matter where I go, I know where I came from” this relates to intersectionality and how Becky is Mexican American. Another one of the lines she sings/ raps is ?My family lived in my grandpa's garage/ So I started working just to help out my pops/ It all started when my grandpa crossed over/ Now one day Im a be a crossover.” This can be connected to Apollo's interview in having a space for Latino musicians. Many latinos live packed in small homes, and Becky is transparent about having to work at the age of 16 to help out her family's bills. 

Through the song, we get Apollo’s perspective of vulnerability with his feelings. He confesses “ I would've married you” which is a huge step considering coming from a background where our culture tends to be very close-minded on being queer. His song finally accepts the truth by ending it with “life’s unfair” because it points towards society rather than the specific individual the song is about. 

Loving someone deeply in a queer relationship, but we all have our limits and sometimes there is an individual that doesn't feel quite comfortable taking the next step. In this song, queer theory is not met by Omar's love interest because the idea of "normal" relationships isn't challenged or deconstructed. We see this through the lens of religious complexities.

Question: Can Queer theory be taught subtly in main English classes to understand better media and how our society keeps adapting/ changing over time?

I have always seen literature coexisting with art. As an artist myself, I heal through the art pieces I create and am able to express feelings or thoughts that sometimes could be a little difficult to express directly. My thoughts may be similar but completely different compared to the person sitting next to me, which is why there are so many books, movies, and art styles. There is beauty in being able to slow down in society, to appreciate what others have put out into the world. 

Even those who aren't literature majors have no way to avoid it since we are surrounded by literature and art. From the ads in stores to the textbooks used in class. Movies and media consumed, have all had a script or brainstorming process before being placed on the big screen if they hadn't been a book to begin with that was later created into a film. The more literature we read, the more we can learn from one another and be introspective within ourselves if we sit back and think about it below the surface level.

TransMovement: Freedom and Constraint in Queer and Open World Games

Samantha Allen explains how dys4ia a video game became a way to express vulnerability of her experiences of transiting with the players of the game. The game was carefully curated to represent limits. She says “Simply put, I can't “go anywhere” and “do anything.” Bathrooms, airports, and locker rooms are all spaces that are either difficult or impossible for me to navigate.” She is bringing the confusion of a transgender individual fitting into society into the game by restricting the movement of the player. 

She also mentions how her views shift from playing open-world games at the beginning of her transition, the ways she explains is seem metaphoric. How privileged cisgender individuals tend to not have to worry about discrimination minority groups face daily. From the text viewers get an insight into the fears and thoughts transgender people face day to day, educating many on feelings they weren't taking into consideration before. 

This piece is an example of how we can become more empathetic with others through literature. Allen is using her voice to compare Queer and Open world games in a thoughtful resilient way that can open eyes. At least this is how I saw it since I don't ever play video games. I learned how intricate and thoughtful game design is and now see it as another form of art!

Video games are literature’s new frontier

Michael Zimm begins his article by criticizing the blurred lines between entertainment and art. He encourages narratives in classroom settings. His words “Teachers and professors preached as dogma that certain books and paintings were words of art even though they added nothing introspective to my life.” Initiating that he viewed literature as being able to take away something that adds meaning to one's life. 

This piece explains how as society evolves so does our literature evolve. He gives examples by stating that the Iliad and Odyssey weren't meant to be read but rather performed. A connection between this article and Allen’s is that they both highlighted the attention to detail placed in video games. In Zimm’s piece, he talks about an easter egg in Uncharted 2. This ancient Greek quote is a reference and he was able to catch onto it because of his knowledge of ancient languages and literature. New generations of players are exposed to this past literature unconsciously. Readers get validation that the new form of literature is a change that has happened as society has industrialized and will continue to expand what the definition of literature is in the future.

Henry has a way with his words and everyone who hears him talk is always intrigued despite not agreeing with what he is saying most of the time. At the end of this section, you can also tell he is skimming/ manipulating Dorian. It feels like Henry knows and plots what he's doing and uses Dorians curiosity as a lure.

• Based on what I have read, there is not much of explicit LGBTQ but rather implicit by the way Basil is in admiration and awe of Dorian but says it more as an artist and its muse relationship. During this time period.  The way they are conversing and talking about Duchesses reminds me of period dramas I have watched/ read about but this novel takes place in the late 19th-century which is after Pride and Prejudice and Bridgerton so I am using those as a guider towards what society was like.